| The Problem with Muscatine's Air |
| Muscatine Rankings |
| Muscatine has the poorest air quality in Iowa, according to the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), which are air pollution limits set by the Environmental Protection Agency to protect public health. |
| In 2011, no city in Iowa exceeded air quality standards except Muscatine. Muscatine exceeded the NAAQS 39 times, twice for particle matter pollution (PM 2.5) and 37 times for sulfur dioxide, SO2. Each exceedance has the potential to induce acute health episodes. |
| From January to April 2 of 2012, Muscatine exceeded the NAAQA 21 times, 20 times for SO2 and 1 time for PM 2.5. |
| Muscatine County ranks 24th in the nation for short-term (24 hour) PARTICLE MATTER 2.5 (PM 2.5) pollution in 2011, according to the American Lung Association. |
| Muscatine County reports more toxic releases of hazardous air pollutants (HAPS) from the chemical industry than 87 percent of counties nationwide. |
| Grain Processing Corporation emits more LEAD than any other company in Iowa. |
| Grain Processing Corporation is one of the largest emitters of ACETALDEHYDE in the United States. |
| Muscatine County School Rankings |
Schools nationwide have been ranked by the amount of toxins outside of each facility. The majority of schools in Muscatine have more toxins at their school than 90% of schools in the United States.
1st Percentile - Bad 100th Percentile = Good |
| 5th Percentile = Washington Elementary School (This means that 95% of schools in the United states have fewer toxins than Washington Elementary School). |
| 6th Percentile = Wilton Elementary School, Madison Elementary School |
| 7th Percentile = Jefferson Elementary School, Central Middle School |
| 8th Percentile = Garfield Elementary School, McKinley Elementary School, Franklin Elementary School Wilton Jr - Sr High School |
| 10th Percentile = Muscatine High School, Bishop Hayes Catholic School, Colorado Elementary School |
| 14th Percentile = Grant Elementary School, Mulberry Elementary School, Adventist Christian School |
| 15th Percentile = West Middle School |
| Pollutants |
| Particle Matter 2.5 (PM 2.5) |
Source: Coal Combustion and Industrial Processes
Harm: Lung and Heart Function |
| Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) |
Source: Coal Combustion and Industrial Processes
Harm: Respiratory System |
| Lead (Pb) |
Source: Industrial Processes
Harm: Nervous System, Kidney Function, Reproductive System, Cardiovascular System, and Immune System |
| ACETALDEHYDE |
Source: Grain Processing
Harm: Dizziness, Respiratory Tract Irritation, Central Nervous System Depression, Convulsions, Death |
| Why Poor Air Quality Harms Economic Development |
| Continually exceeding the NAAQS will lead to the classification of non-attanment, or not attaining NAAQS. |
| Non-Attainment is a red flag to business developers. This classification makes Muscatine an unattractive place for new businesses to locate because of the additional cost of air quality modeling that is necessary when moving to a non-attainment area. |
| Muscatine has teetered on the upper edge of allowable pollutant limits and non-attainment for more than 20 years. |
| Sources |
| http://content.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/smokestack/index.html |
| http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/Air Quality/CommonAir Pollutants.aspx |
| http://www.iowadnr.gov/InsideDNR/Regulatory Air/MonitoringAmbientAir.aspx |
| http://www.lung.org/about-us/publications/ |
| http://www.iwatchnews.org/2011/11/30/7525/despite-lone-inspector-s-efforts-persistent-haze-en-velops-iowa-town |
EPA, TRI Explorer, Geography US County Report for Hazadous Air Pollutants from NAICS 325 - Chemicals;
EPA, TRI Explorer, Geograpy US State Report for Hazardous Air Pollutants.
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